ATLANTA — Georgia Power announced it restored power to more than half a million customers on Saturday as recovery efforts continue to sweep across the state following Helene.
The electrical company announced that the rapid response has been possible through the implementation of its new "smart grid" technologies and teams that were prepared for the outages across the state.
On Saturday, Georgia Power released new estimated restoration times for the following cities: Athens, Augusta, Brunswick, Clayton, Cornelia, Dublin, Gainesville, Hartwell, Hinesville, Macon, Madison, Milledgeville, Savannah, Springfield, Statesboro, Thomson, Tifton, Valdosta, Vidalia, Waycross and Waynesboro.
All customers need to do to be able to check their outage status in these communities is visit this link and log in to their account to be able to find the section to check their outage status.
On Friday evening, Georgia Power announced they now have estimated restoration times for Georgia communities that include Albany, Alpharetta, Americus, Atlanta, Austell, Canton, Carrollton, Cartersville, Columbus, Dalton, Jonesboro, Lawrenceville, Newnan, Rome, Smyrna and Tucker.
Georgia Power also offered these tips for drivers and people to keep themselves and their crews safe:
- Watch for Georgia Power crews working across the state. If driving, move over one lane for utility vehicles stopped on the side of the road – it's the law in Georgia.
- Watch for downed wires. Downed power lines may be hidden by debris or fallen trees.
- Never touch any downed wire or attempt to remove tree branches from power lines – it can kill.
- Don't step in standing water or saturated ground where downed lines may be present. They could be electrified.
- Avoid chain link fences. They may be electrified by a downed line out of sight and conduct electricity over great distances.
- Never attempt repairs to electric service connections. Customers should also note that if their home, including the meter box or mast/connection point, is severely damaged by the storm repairs may need to be made by an electrician before Georgia Power can reconnect power.